News

Awards recognise importance of landscape

1st December 2006

Landscape isn’t natural: it is designed, created and managed by people and a number of top British landscape architects and practices were recognised in the annual Landscape Institute Awards yesterday (30 November 2006) for some of the most innovative and successful projects of the moment.

Evan Davis, BBC2’s Dragons’ Den presenter and economics editor for the BBC hosted the event and presented the awards. Winning schemes can be found in Manchester, London, Hong Kong, Madrid and Essex and take in design, planning and research covering a diversity of work including windfarms, city squares and offering easy access to historic landscapes.

“The winners reflect the diversity of work happening in the landscape arena,” said David Withycombe, chair of the LI awards committee. “This year saw the introduction of a new category, Landscape Policy, to recognise the influence of landscape architects on policy, consultation and strategy. Such was the quality of the work being carried out in this field that the winner of the category, English Heritage, was also chosen as the President’s Award.”

Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester was designed by EDAW, masterplanners of the London 2012 site, and their winning Design entry was hailed as a scheme that gives “the quality of design that the British public realm deserves and sets a benchmark” by the judging panel.

Lovejoy won one of the planning awards for its environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a ScottishPower windfarm in Scotland.

“It’s clear that the quality of work taking place is extremely high,” said Nigel Thorne, president of the Institute. “In our society there is ever more need for great landscape work as tourism, industry, wildlife and housing development all make demands on the land.”

A list of the awards and winners follows below.

The Landscape Institute Awards 2007 were given to:

Special Awards
English Heritage
President’s Award for its category winning entry

The Eden Project
Peter Youngman Award for outstanding contribution to landscape

Category Award Winners
Liz Lake Associates
Communication & Presentation

EDAW
Design over 5ha

Architectural Services Dept with Urbis
Design over 5ha

BBUK Studio
Design under 5ha

English Heritage
Landscape Policy

Lovejoy
Local Landscape Planning

Annabel Downs MLI
Research

LDA Design
Strategic Landscape Planning

Urbis Limited
Strategic Landscape Planning

John Flinn
Student Portfolio

Liz Fry
Student Portfolio

Category Commendations
CABE
Communication & Presentation

Estell Warren Limited
Community Design & Conservation

Groundwork Rossendale
Community Design & Conservation

EDCO Design
Design over 5ha

Robert Myers Associates
Design under 5ha

Townshend Landscape Architects
Design under 5ha

Land Use Consultants
Local Landscape Planning

TEP
Local Landscape Planning

Urbis Limited
Local Landscape Planning

Alan Tate
Research

Essex Landscape Design
Strategic Landscape Planning

The Landscape Partnership
Strategic Landscape Planning

White Consultants
Strategic Landscape Planning

Emma Baker
Student Dissertation

Elinor Scarth
Student Dissertation

Source: LI